Sunday, November 23, 2014

Age of Brass and Steam Kerchief, huh?

We are having unseasonably cold weather up in here in the north. I woke up on Friday morning to 1° F and it is still November. Brrr! What this cold weather makes me want to do above all else is curl up in front of the fire with some yarn and knitting needles. Of course there are many other things - and people - needing attention but I have gotten quite a few Christmas presents finished, others needing some sort of finishing - but near finished - and a few fun things finished as well.

This post is about the pattern I got in a class at our local yarn shop. The pattern is called The Age of Brass and Steam Kerchief. Not sure why it would be called a name like that but it is a delightful pattern. I had admired the instructor's "shawlette" made with it so I was happy when it was offered as a class. The class was titled, "The Garter Tab," which is how the shawl begins. I had already done a garter tab on the shawl in this post but really wanted the pattern for the one featured in the class.

If you go to the Ravelry link and get to the page that offers the pattern as a free download, you will see lovely photographs of several good-sized shawlettes. And then there's mine:

As you can see, it is smaller than intended. I really like the colors but I had a very frustrating yarn experience. I bought Noro Kureyon and to meet the requirements of the pattern, I bought 3 skeins of the same color and dye lot. But that's just the thing about Noro - the same dyelot and color could actually look completely different from another of the same. I just assumed that what was all balled up in the center would make up for the outsides looking different. But, no. Two of the skeins were close enough that when I cut out a patch that was completely different from every other color in those two skeins, I was able to continue in the color pattern. BUT the 3rd skein was as though it was a completely different colorway. Soooo I "ended up ending up" sooner than the pattern called for and having more of a bandanna. :^) It does look fine tied in the back of my neck with the triangle in the front but it was not what I was planning.

Another thing about the Noro yarn is that it is only one ply and in some places it is so lightly spun that you get more pilling and escaped fuzzy, if you "take my meanin'." So I guess I'm giving Noro Kureyon a thumbs down. And the pattern a thumbs up.

I really like the effect of the evenly-spaced, intermittent rows of purl with yarn overs. In fact, that is one thing I learned how to do pretty well in this pattern - doing a yarn over in a purl row. I had thought that was not doable. But, in fact, it is. In case you don't know how, the way to do it is this: with your needle and yarn at the ready for your next purl stitch (and at the location the pattern says to YO), you do a 360° around your needle with the yarn, making sure to create just one new loop on your needle (it's easy to go around too far and make 2 loops, thus making too many increases in that row) and then do the next purl stitch. It took me entirely too long to figure out why I was coming up with too many stitches! But alas, I conquered!

The other thing of importance I learned in this class is from a handout found here at Laylock.org. The page to which I linked includes a downloadable sheet with the 5 basic shawl shapes and how the shapes are accomplished. This is very informative and I think with its help, I am going to be able to make this Age of Brass and Steam Kerchief again but instead of being the "heart-shaped" shawlette that the pattern calls for, I will be able to make it a "triangular" shaped shawl. Nice to know.

Because of the yarn troubles, I had to end the kerchief before the 3rd and last purl/YO section and go straight away to the garter and cast off section. Therefore my kerchief is assymetrical from top to bottom AAACCCKKK! So now that I've told ALL, if you ever see me wearing it, you can look for the flaws. Or if you're really nice, you might just say, "Did you make that? It's so pretty."

And so it IS pretty! I thought Noro yarn was the 'bees-knees' - nothing like it and all that. I have a Noro crochet pattern book but so far have always substituted with a different yarn (because it's practically impossible to get Noro here and it's also very expensive).

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About Me

Hello and welcome. Introductions are in order. My name is Linda. I am the wife of a wonderful man, Dean. I'm the mother of 2 grown "boys" and the stepmother of another grown boy and a grown girl. I have 4 step grandsons and 6 step-step grandchildren. Clear?
I have been a stay-at-home mom since my boys were born and have spent a good deal of time spinning yarns and knitting garments. I will attempt to journal some of my projects, past and present, and spin a few memories along the way.
And my new blog, A Sip From the Well, involves my love of the Bible and my attempts to see what it says to us today.
I hope you enjoy your visit. Please feel free to introduce yourself in the comment section.